New year, new music — and lots of it.
As we enter a fresh decade, London’s live music scene is excellent as ever. Over the next 12 months, the capital’s venues — from its premier arenas to its east London basements — will host thousands of gigs, proving the city as one of the finest musical hubs in the world.
Here, we’ve picked out some of the shows that need to be on your radar, whether they feature stadium-sized pop stars or left-field heroes.
All of the gigs are on sale now, so don’t hang around.
PVA — January 17
The much-hyped new dance band, signed to the excellent Speedy Wunderground label, play the ever-reliable proving ground of Brixton Windmill.
Windmill Brixton, SW2, buy tickets here
Black Midi — January 18
The glorious cacophonies of Black Midi, rather rudely introduced to the nation with an unhinged performance at the Mercury Prize 2019 ceremony, come to the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Southbank Centre, SE1, buy tickets here
Madonna — January 27, 29, 30 and February 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16
The Queen of Pop eschews the stadiums for the much smaller London Palladium — but she’ll make up for it by playing no less than 15 dates at the venue.
London Palladium, W1F, buy tickets here
Kokoroko — January 28
With a seductive blend of jazz, Afrobeat and more, Kokoroko are one of the finest bands in the London scene. They play in the round here.
Roundhouse, NW1, buy tickets here
Sturgill Simspon — January 28
The Kentucky-born artist is a shapeshifter, launching his career as a country artist, then moving to soul and now, with his last album Sound and Fury, mashing it all together with face-melting results.
O2 Forum Kentish Town, NW5 buy tickets here
John Grant — January 29
The distinct talent of alt-singer-songwriter John Grant comes to the Roundhouse for a stripped-back show, playing songs from across his colourful career.
Roundhouse, NW1 buy tickets here
Les Amazones D’Afrique — January 29
This West African group preach the message of peace and female empowerment with vigorous grooves and multilingual lyrics.
The Jazz Cafe, NW1, buy tickets here
Fatoumata Diawara — January 30
Fatoumata Diawara continues to push the boundaries of genre with her music, and brings her excellent live show to north London.
Roundhouse, NW1, buy tickets here
Wacław Zimpel and Park Jiha — January 31
Contemporary Polish minimalism and new-age classical sounds from South Korea combine on a fascinating double bill at the Barbican.
Barbican, EC2Y, buy tickets here
Bombay Bicycle Club — February 7, 8
The indie favourites are back together again after some time apart, celebrating their reunion in no small way: two huge shows at Ally Pally.
Alexandra Palace, N22, buy tickets here
Carly Rae Jepsen — February 8
The pop idol was meant to be playing this show at the Roundhouse, but so many people were after tickets that it upgraded to this larger south London spot.
O2 Academy Brixton, SW9, buy tickets here
Angel Olsen — February 11
The Missouri singer-songwriter scaled new heights on her lush new album All Mirrors, which is bound to translate into something special in the live setting.
Eventim Apollo, W6, buy tickets here
Eric Clapton and friends — February 17
Eric Clapton assembles a cast of musician friends to pay tribute to his late former bandmate, the legendary drummer Ginger Baker.
Eventim Apollo, W6, buy tickets here
Mura Masa — February 20
The producer extraordinaire, who has collaborated with Stormzy, Ariana Grande and more, steps out on his own as a solo artist.
Alexandra Palace, N22, buy tickets here
The 1975 — February 21, 22
Probably one of the biggest bands in the UK right now, Matty Healy and co. come to the capital’s largest arena for two shows.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Fontaines D.C. — February 25
The Mercury Prize-nominated Irish band have won legions of fans with their gloomy but propulsive post-punk and poetic lyrics. This is their biggest headline show to date.
O2 Academy Brixton, SW9, buy tickets here
Lana Del Rey — February 25
Lana Del Rey’s last album was her best yet, the sound of an artist finally finding her voice. She toasts her success with this arena show.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Sleater-Kinney — February 26
Sleater-Kinney are sounding great as ever, still turning heads with their own angular takes on rock. They return to London here.
O2 Academy Brixton, SW9, buy tickets here
Big Thief — February 27
Not content with releasing just one great album in 2019, the indie-folk favourites released two. Expect cuts from both at this show.
Eventim Apollo, W6, buy tickets here
Marika Hackman — March 5
Raw and unabashed, a Marika Hackman gig is an intimate experience in more ways than one. Her latest new album, the excellent Any Human Friend, will get an airing.
O2 Forum Kentish Town, NW1, buy tickets here
An Evening with Whitney — March 10
One of the stranger prospects of the year sees a hologram of Whitney Houston perform all of the late star’s greatest hits.
Eventim Apollo, W6, buy tickets here
Brittany Howard — March 10
The Alabama Shakes frontwoman has made some impressive strides as a solo artist, with her incredible voice and deeply soulful songwriting.
O2 Forum Kentish Town, NW1, buy tickets here
Bryan Ferry — March 11, 13
In 2020, Roxy Music man Bryan Ferry will release a live album of recordings at the Royal Albert Hall from all the way back in 1974. He celebrates the release by doing it all over again here.
Royal Albert Hall, SW7, buy tickets here
Lewis Capaldi — March 12, 13
The Scot has smashed charts on both sides of the Atlantic with his winning brand of sad pop songs, and isn’t letting up. He plays in Wembley across two nights.
The SSE Arena, Wembley, HA9, buy tickets here
Chick Corea Trilogy — March 16
Three jazz supremos — Chick Corea, Christian McBride and Brian Blade — come together to play through a dazzling set of classics.
Barbican, EC2Y, buy tickets here
Blossoms — March 17, 18, 19
Keeping the indie flag flying high, Blossoms come to north London for a three-night residency in support of their latest album, Foolish Loving Spaces.
O2 Forum Kentish Town, NW1, buy tickets here
Jon Hopkins — March 18
The mind-bending electronic producer brings his Polarity show to Royal Albert Hall, playing grand piano and accompanied by a number of live musicians.
Royal Albert Hall, SW7, buy tickets here
Princess Nokia — March 20
The fierce New York-born rapper will release her new album Curveball sometime in 2020, with this show bound to include some of that fresh material.
EartH, N16, buy tickets here
Van Morrison — March 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26
Madonna isn’t the only titan to play a residency at the Palladium in 2020 — Van Morrison will do likewise, with six dates.
London Palladium, W1F, buy tickets here
The Jesus and Mary Chain — March 22
The Scottish band will play their superb second album, Darklands, in full at the Roundhouse.
Roundhouse, NW1, buy tickets here
Lubomyr Melnyk — March 22, 23
The Ukranian pianist plays with incredible cascading style, resulting in a waterfall of sound that is as arresting as it is distinctive.
Cafe Oto, E8, buy tickets here
Sam Fender — March 26, 27
The guitarist from North Shields is going from strength to strength, now with a number one debut under his belt and a two massive Ally Pally dates in the calendar.
Alexandra Palace, N22, buy tickets here
Bicep — March 27, 28
Surely one of the biggest electronic acts in the country right now, Bicep follow on from their triumphant Printworks shows with these two dates in the capital.
O2 Academy Brixton, SW9, buy tickets here
Richard Dawson — March 28
The black-humoured songwriter — whose album 2020 we named the best of the year — invites a number of friends to perform across two stages, with a full band performance to finish.
Barbican, EC2Y, buy tickets here
Gal Costa — March 30
An icon of Brazilian music across the last half-century, Gal Costa plays through a set of Tropicalia classics and frevos.
Barbican, EC2Y, buy tickets here
Avril Lavigne — April 1, 5, 6
The pop-rock star is touring for the first time in five years, and will take in three nights at O2 Academy Brixton.
O2 Academy Brixton, SW9, buy tickets here
Kojey Radical — April 2
The Hoxton rapper’s expansive style pushed new boundaries on his last album Cashmere Tears. He comes to the Roundhouse following a sold-out UK tour.
Roundhouse, NW1, buy tickets here
M Huncho — April 2
The masked MC is one of the UK’s most elusive musical figures, but one thing’s for certain — he’s got the songs to bring an explosive show to south London.
O2 Academy Brixton, SW9, buy tickets here
Skengdo x AM — April 8
The drill linchpins have shrugged off censorship and continue to grow as some of London’s best young musicians. This is the rearranged show that was meant to take place back in October.
O2 Forum Kentish Town, NW1, buy tickets here
The Who — April 8
Daltrey and Townshend are back with their first new Who album in 13 years, and will tear through a greatest hits set here.
The SSE Arena, Wembley, HA9, buy tickets here
Bauhaus — April 8
The goth-rock gurus are back together again after a few years apart, and will conjure of some of their dark magic at Ally Pally.
Alexandra Palace, N22, buy tickets here
Thundercat — April 9
No-one plays bass quite like Thundercat — intricate, at breakneck speed, but with undeniable soul.
Roundhouse, NW1, buy tickets here
Snoop Dogg — April 15
Snoop Doggy Dogg has assembled quite the line-up for this arena gig — he’ll be supported by Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound, Versatile, Obie Trice and D12.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Pussycat Dolls — April 17, 19
Noughties favourites Pussycat Dolls are performing together for the first time in more than a decade, and will celebrate the reunion with these two massive shows.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Harry Styles — April 22, 23
The former One Direction man has firmly established himself as a solo artist now, although you might still hear a few of the group’s biggest hits at these two O2 shows.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Bon Iver — April 26
Bon Iver headlines in Wembley at this gig, which will also feature a performance from Big 37d03d, a project spearheaded by the National’s Aaron Dessner.
The SSE Arena, Wembley, HA9, buy tickets here
Celeste — April 29
Expect big things from this vocalist, named among the artists included on the BBC Sound of 2020 list. Dua Lipa, AJ Tracey and Lewis Capaldi have all been nominated in recent years.
O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, W12, buy tickets here
Mahalia — May 1
Mahalia is one of those artists who was big even before she released a debut album — but now she has, and has got even bigger, with her largest ever headline show.
O2 Academy Brixton, SW9, buy tickets here
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds — May 14, 15
Nick Cave’s latest release, Ghosteen, was a sparkling success. It will take on a new life at what looks set to be an intense couple of nights at the O2.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Brockhampton — May 19, 20
The rap crew are among the biggest things in American rap right now, and will prove their credentials this side of the pond with a headline tour.
O2 Academy Brixton, SW9, buy tickets here
Aldous Harding — May 20
The idiosyncratic artist performs a career-spanning set alongside a full band at the Barbican.
Barbican, EC2Y, buy tickets now
Amadou and Mariam with Blind Boys of Alabama — May 23
Malian husband-and-wife duo Amadou and Mariam lead a double bill which also features the joyous gospel sounds of Blind Boys of Alabama, who have been performing with an ever-changing line-up since the 1940s.
Southbank Centre, SE1, buy tickets here
Swans — May 25
It’s always a punishingly brilliant show whenever Michael Gira rolls into town. Now, backed by a fresh line-up of musicians, he arrives with his particularly heavy rock in east London.
EartH, N16, buy tickets here
Dua Lipa — May 26, 27
Set to cement her status as one of the UK’s biggest pop stars with her new album Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa plays two nights in Greenwich.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Pet Shop Boys — May 28
The duo have assembled a crowd-pleasing setlist of greatest hits from across their career for this gig.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Sun Kil Moon — May 28, 30
Mark Kozelek's increasingly stream-of-consciousness songs will find a new context in the beautiful surroundings of Union Chapel.
Union Chapel, N1, buy tickets here
Guns N’ Roses — May 29, 30
The heavyweight rockers will become the first ever band to play at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with these two concerts.
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, N17, buy tickets here
Camila Cabello — June 11
The chart-topper tours in support of her huge new album, Romance.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Acid Mothers Temple — June 21, 22
The veteran rockers bring their psychedelic sounds to Cafe Oto for a two night residency.
Cafe Oto, E8, buy tickets here
Thom Yorke — June 23, 24
Across two nights, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke brings his solo project, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, to Hammersmith.
Eventim Apollo, W6, buy tickets here
Julia Holter — June 27
Taking a break from her lush solo work, Julia Holter presents her stunning original score to the 1928 silent film, The Passion of Joan of Arc.
Barbican, EC2Y, buy tickets here
TLC — June 29
Still with a distinct aversion to scrubs, TLC will treat fans to a night of throwback hits here.
O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, W12, buy tickets here
The Isley Brothers — July 1
The legendary group have been in the game for 60 years, and will celebrate the milestone with their first UK shows in more than a decade.
Eventim Apollo, W6, buy tickets here
Little Mix — July 4
After a string of humongous London shows in 2019, Little Mix are back for more as headliners at the British Summer Time concert series.
Hyde Park, W2, buy tickets here
Diana Ross — July 8, 9, 18
Riding a wave after her performance in the Legends slot at Glastonbury, Diana Ross brings her powerhouse vocals to the O2.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Pearl Jam — July 10
Another of the BST headliners, Pearl Jam top the bill with more than able support from Pixies.
Hyde Park, W2, buy tickets here
Taylor Swift — July 10
If you didn’t manage to get tickets to see Taylor Swift at Glastonbury, this Hyde Park show is your best second bet.
Hyde Park, W2, buy tickets here
Billie Eilish — July 26, 27, 29, 30
It speaks volumes about just how massive 18-year-old Billie Eilish is that she can set out four shows at the 20,000-capacity O2.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Stormzy — September 2, 3, 4
2019 was a big year for Stormzy — headlining Glasto, releasing a second album — and 2020 looks set to be even bigger with a world tour including three London dates.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Celine Dion — September 17, 18
A global superstar for decades now, Celine Dion returns to the capital.
The O2, SE10, buy tickets here
Einstürzende Neubauten — September 30
The German experimentalists are still boggling minds 40 years after their emergence. See them break new ground in north London.
O2 Forum Kentish Town, NW1, buy tickets here
Elton John — November 2, 4, 6, 7 and December 2, 9, 14, 16, 17
If this really is the last time Elton John ever plays goodbye, he’s making sure he pays a proper farewell — nine shows at the O2, no less.
The O2, SE10 buy tickets here
Michael Kiwanuka — November 27
His latest release, Kiwanuka, was a career-best — and this show is his biggest headliner to date.
Alexandra Palace, N22, buy tickets here
